Friday of 22nd Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Don’t taint the new life in Christ with the old life of sin

Reading: Lk 5:33–39

In his second letter to the Corinthians (5:17), St Paul teaches that “anyone who is in Christ Jesus is a new creature: old things have passed away; the new has come.” This lesson from St Paul quickly brings to our mind what Jesus told the Scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel. He told them that no one puts fresh wine in an old wineskin; instead, new wine should be put in a new wineskin. And that no one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment.

Dear friends, what does this teach us? What do we understand by this emphasis on not mixing the old and the new?

We must understand that whoever has been baptized has been buried and risen with Christ. This means he has given up the old life of sin, he has been redeemed from the old life, and has assumed a new life of grace. Thus, this new life cannot be lived according to the pattern or standard of the old life from which it was redeemed, but rather according to the values and standards of the one who redeemed it from the old, namely Christ, the giver of new life.

As a life redeemed from old life of sin and dominion of darkness, and renewed by the blood of Christ, the Christian life compels anyone who truly wants to live it not to do so by allowing the standards of the old life of sin to dictate his choices and actions; he should no longer allow the old life of sin to taint this new life. A Christian is no longer to live in accordance with the standards that derive from living as if life in this world is all that exists, because such logic belongs to the old life of sin. He should rather live for Jesus, who died for us and was raised again; his life should be a lamp shining in the dark.

May God’s grace lead and direct you steps this Friday. Amen

Fr Isaac C, Chima